Title Sub-heading

5/10/2015

Climate change adaptation in Victoria

Callie Donaldson – Senior Manager, Climate Change Policy

Victoria – at a glance

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Australia’s smallest mainland state Population: 5.4 million people Geographic area: 227, 416 square kilometres (about the size of Britain)

Key industries: - Agriculture - Tourism - Education - Manufacturing - Energy

Climate change impacts on Victoria

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Enabling effective adaptation

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Adaptation requires dealing with: - Complexity - Uncertainty - Dynamic, interacting systems - Diverse levels of awareness, understanding & capacity to respond - Evolving science and practice Today, I will provide a brief overview of how Victoria’s adaptation legislation, policy and programs seek to address these challenges by: - Providing guiding principles - Enabling continuous, iterative improvement - Fostering partnerships and ongoing, genuine engagement - Seeking to clarify roles and responsibilities of different players - Building knowledge and capacity - Tailoring approach to context, capacity

LEGISLATION Victorian Climate Change Act 2010

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1. Climate change principles:

- Informed decision making - Integrated decision making - Risk management - Complementarity - Equity - Community engagement

LEGISLATION Victorian Climate Change Act 2010

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2. Decision making requirements “must have regard to the potential impacts of climate change relevant to the decision or action; and (b) the potential contribution to Victoria’s greenhouse gas emissions”

3. Victorian Climate Change Adaptation Plan: - Must be developed every four years - Must set out:

- Latest climate science and observed changes in climate - Risks and impacts for Victoria - Government adaptation measures and priorities - Roles and responsibilities - Review of the previous Adaptation Plan

POLICY State-wide Adaptation Plan

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• Key impacts of climate change

• Principles

• Work occurring across portfolios

• Priorities of government

• Responsibilities

POLICY State-wide Adaptation Plan

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Priorities of government 1. Managing risks to public assets and

services

2. Managing risks to natural assets and natural resource-based industries

3. Building disaster resilience

4. Improving access to research and and information

5. Supporting private sector adaptation

6. Strengthening partnerships with local govt and communities

Partnering with local government

• Established agreement between state and local government

• Range of engagement forums and methods • Targeting barriers to local government adaptation • Grants (targeted to different capacities) • Promoting partnerships (state and local

government, researchers, community & private sector)

• Learning and knowledge sharing • Clarifying priorities and responsibilities • Climate change mentors

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PROGRAM (case study) Local government climate change mentors

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Shane Gladigau

Kath Gosden

Narelle Martin

PROGRAM (case study) Local government climate change mentors

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The initiative delivers: - One-on-one engagement with all 79 Victorian councils to

understand barriers, priorities and context… This information is fed into policy and program development.

- Four targeted deliverables based on this knowledge:

- An online information portal - Training in how to make service delivery more resilient - Communications and engagement - Conduit into policy development

PROGRAM DELIVERS LOCAL PROJECTS Building resilience

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LESSONS LEARNT

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Adaptation decision making improved

Two-way exchange for well informed

policy and action

Knowledge brokering

Place-based

support

Integration of adaptation in whole-of-council operation

Complement and build on existing adaptation efforts

Stronger collaboration and networks

LESSONS LEARNT

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- Providing guiding principles

- Enabling continuous, iterative improvement

- Fostering partnerships and ongoing, genuine engagement

- Seeking to clarify roles and responsibilities of different players

- Building knowledge and capacity

- Tailoring approach to context and capacity